Manager, Planning

As the Planning Manager at Marki Microwave, you will lead the Planning and Scheduling team in a complex, low-volume, high-mix RF and microwave electronics manufacturing environment. You will create, coordinate, and own all plans that ensure on-time delivery of Marki Microwave products, setting the master schedule and priorities that direct the daily work of the entire production organization. You will work closely with the Sales Operations team to understand and rationalize customer demand, and partner with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing to secure the materials, resources, and capacity needed to deliver to committed lead times.

You will analyze medium- and long-term demand signals, identify supply bottlenecks, and justify capacity investments that support the Company's long-term growth objectives, while developing your Planners and Schedulers into a strong, self-sufficient planning bench. This role requires a seasoned planning leader who can balance strategic capacity thinking with disciplined daily execution, resolve systemic supply issues that span multiple functions, and represent Planning in cross-functional and leadership forums.

• Lead, co ach, and develop a team of Planners and Schedulers.
• Set clear vision, performance goals, and expectations for the team and each individual; proactively manage performance through engaging one‑on‑ones, team meetings, and metrics.
• Own all performance assessments, training, and development for Planning team members; build succession depth and cross‑training across planning and scheduling functions.
• Foster a culture of empowerment, collaboration, trust, and respect for all.
• Balance hands‑on planning execution with team leadership responsibilities, stepping into any planning or scheduling role as needed to cover absences, surges, or critical builds.
• Use data analysis techniques (queries, trending, statistics) to identify systemic scheduling and supply issues and drive root‑cause corrective actions.
• Represent Planning in cross‑functional and leadership forums such as S&OP, drive alignment with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, & Quality.
• Collaborate with the Supply Chain team to secure materials and with the Manufacturing team(s) to confirm production plans, including resource availability and equipment capacity.
• Set realistic and aggressive product lead times for Marki product families.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously refine ERP planning system parameters, including lead times, lot sizes, safety stock levels, Kanban, finished goods, spares, and raw material inventory targets.
• Oversee Space, HiREL, and NPI planning activities through a dedicated planner; ensure flow‑down of program‑specific requirements (screening, traceability, lot control, and extended cycle times) into build schedules, and ensure these builds are appropriately prioritized and integrated with the overall production plan.
• Actively manage WIP: monitor work‑order aging, identify stalled jobs and bottleneck operations, and drive daily recovery actions with Manufacturing Supervisors and Team Leads. Highlight and drive solutions for potential issues such as excess material/inventory and supply shortages.
• Use data analysis techniques to identify short‑, medium‑, and long‑term supply constraints. Take the initiative to form and lead cross‑functional teams to resolve issues to achieve on‑time delivery targets and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Create processes that highlight changes in the supply plan, such as customer demand shifts, new product ramps, product excursions, material shortages, and customer pull‑in requests. Use this data to revise forecasts and recommend changes to the plan.
• Own Supply Planning Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Focus on critical priorities and measure progress to team goals. Provide regular reports and updates to the Executive Team.
• Develop and maintain capacity models for key work centers and equipment; use demand forecasts and routings to project labor and equipment loading, identify future capacity gaps, and provide data‑driven recommendations for headcount, equipment, and outsourcing decisions.
• Keep up…